Auburn Recruiting: Biggest Signing Day Surprises

Elijah Daniel, 2013

Sometimes, it’s best to be the last coach to see a recruit.

That may have been a factor when top-ten defensive end Elijah Daniel chose Auburn over Ole Miss in 2013. The Indiana native committed to Clemson earlier in the recruiting process, but switched to the Rebels only a few weeks prior to Signing Day.

Sometimes a player gets a last-minute gut feeling about a place shortly before he makes his final decision. It likely helped that Malzahn and his staff were able to secure a final official visit from Daniels, and that ultimately helped to seal the deal.

“When I took the visit (to Auburn) I had an emotional feeling about the place,” Daniel said following his decision. “My last visit impacted me a lot. To see the place and really get a feel for the place.”

Sometimes, a player can be wooed because of the other talented players that he would join on campus. Daniel pointed to the signings of Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams in his class as a factor to choosing the Tigers.

The three will be a big part of new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp’s unit this season with Lawson returning from a knee injury, Adams becoming one of the best interior linemen in the SEC and Daniel aiming to fulfill the potential that made him one of the most talked about players in the nation on National Signing Day 2013.

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